Genesis 35
35
1In the mean time, God said to Jacob: Arise, and go up to Bethel, and dwell there, and make there an altar to God, who appeared to thee when thou didst flee from Esau thy brother.
2And Jacob having called together all his household, said: Cast away the strange gods that are among you, and be cleansed and change your garments.
3Arise, and let us go up to Bethel, that we may make there an altar to God: who heard me in the day of my affliction, and accompanied me in my journey.
4So they gave him all the strange gods they had, and the earrings which were in their ears: and he buried them under the turpentine tree, that is behind the city of Sichem.
5And when they were departed, the terror of God fell upon all the cities round about, and they durst not pursue after them as they went away.
6And Jacob came to Luza, which is in the land of Chanaan, surnamed Bethel: he and all the people that were with him.
7And he built there an altar, and called the name of that place, The house of God: for there God appeared to him when he fled from his brother.
8At the same time Debora, the nurse of Rebecca, died, and was buried at the foot of Bethel under an oak: and the name of that place was called, The oak of weeping.
9And God appeared again to Jacob, after he returned from Mesopotamia of Syria, and he blessed him,
10Saying: Thou shalt not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name. And he called him Israel.
11And said to him: I am God Almighty. Increase thou and be multiplied. Nations and peoples of nations shall be from thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins.
12And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to thee, and to thy seed after thee.
13And he departed from him.
14But he set up a monument of stone, in the place where God had spoken to him: pouring drink offerings upon it, and pouring oil thereon:
15And calling the name of that place Bethel.
16And going forth from thence, he came in the springtime to the land which leadeth to Ephrata: wherein when Rachel was in travail,
17By reason of her hard labor, she began to be in danger, and the midwife said to her: Fear not, for thou shalt have this son also.
18And when her soul was departing for pain, and death was now at hand, she called the name of her son Benoni, that is, The son of my pain: but his father called him Benjamin, that is, The son of the right hand.
19So Rachel died, and was buried in the highway that leadeth to Ephrata. This is Bethlehem.
20And Jacob erected a pillar over her sepulchre. This is the pillar of Rachel's monument, to this day.
21Departing thence, he pitched his tent beyond the Flock tower.
22And when he dwelt in that country, Ruben went, and slept with Bala, the concubine of his father: which he was not ignorant of. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
23The sons of Lia: Ruben the firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Juda, and Issachar, and Zabulon.
24The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
25The sons of Bala, Rachel's handmaid: Dan and Nephtali.
26The sons of Zelpha, Lia's handmaid: Gad and Aser. These are the sons of Jacob, that were born to him in Mesopotamia of Syria.
27And he came to Isaac his father in Mambre, the city of Arbee, this is Hebron, wherein Abraham and Isaac sojourned.
28And the days of Isaac were a hundred and eighty years.
29And being spent with age he died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Genesis 35
35
Jacob Returns to Bethel
1 #
Gn 28.11-17. God told Jacob, “Return to Bethel, where I appeared to you when you were running from your brother Esau. Make your home there and build an altar for me.”
2Jacob said to his family and to everyone else who was traveling with him:
Get rid of your foreign gods! Then make yourselves acceptable to worship God and put on clean clothes. 3Afterwards, we'll go to Bethel. I will build an altar there for God, who answered my prayers when I was in trouble and who has always been at my side.
4So everyone gave Jacob their idols and their earrings,#35.4 earrings: These would have had symbols of foreign gods on them. and he buried them under the oak tree near Shechem.
5While Jacob and his family were traveling through Canaan, God terrified the people in the towns so much that no one dared bother them. 6Finally, they reached Bethel, also known as Luz. 7Jacob built an altar there and called it “God of Bethel,” because that was the place where God had appeared to him when he was running from Esau. 8While they were there, Rebekah's personal servant Deborah#35.8 Deborah: See 24.59 and the note there. died. They buried her under an oak tree and called it “Weeping Oak.”
God Blesses Jacob at Bethel
9-11 #
Gn 32.28. #Gn 17.4-8. After Jacob came back to the land of Canaan, God appeared to him again. This time he gave Jacob a new name and blessed him by saying:
I am God All-Powerful, and from now on your name will be Israel#35.9-11 Israel: See the note at 32.28. instead of Jacob. You will have many children. Your descendants will become nations, and some of the men in your family will even be kings. 12I will give you the land that I promised Abraham and Isaac, and it will belong to your family forever.
13After God had gone, 14#Gn 28.18,19. Jacob set up a large rock, so that he would remember what had happened there. Then he poured wine and olive oil on the rock to show that it was dedicated to God, 15and he named the place Bethel.#35.15 Bethel: See the note at 28.19.
Benjamin Is Born
16Jacob and his family had left Bethel and were still a long way from Ephrath, when the time came for Rachel's baby to be born. 17She was having a rough time, but the woman who was helping her said, “Don't worry! It's a boy.” 18Rachel was at the point of death, and right before dying, she said, “I'll name him Benoni.”#35.18 Benoni: In Hebrew “Benoni” means “Son of my Sorrow.” But Jacob called him Benjamin.#35.18 Benjamin: In Hebrew “Benjamin” can mean “Son at my Right Side” (the place of power).
19Rachel was buried beside the road to Ephrath, which is also called Bethlehem. 20Jacob set up a tombstone over her grave, and it is still there. 21Jacob, also known as Israel, traveled to the south of Eder Tower, where he set up camp.
22 #
Gn 49.4. During their time there, Jacob's oldest son Reuben slept with Bilhah, who was one of Jacob's other wives.#35.22 other wives: See the note at 22.24. Bilhah had been Rachel's servant woman (see 29.28-30). And Jacob found out about it.
Jacob's Twelve Sons
23-26Jacob had twelve sons while living in northern Syria.#35.23-26 northern Syria: See the note at 24.10. His first-born Reuben was the son of Leah, who later gave birth to Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. Leah's servant Zilpah had two sons: Gad and Asher.
Jacob and his wife Rachel had Joseph and Benjamin. Rachel's servant woman Bilhah had two more sons: Dan and Naphtali.
Isaac Dies
27 #
Gn 13.18. Jacob went to his father Isaac at Hebron, also called Mamre or Kiriath-Arba, where Isaac's father Abraham had lived as a foreigner. 28-29Isaac died at the ripe old age of 180, then his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
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